


Love is Hell

by kinkybitch



Series: Falling for You: Love is Hell [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Demon AU, Demon Jack, M/M, felled angel Rhys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-09-26 22:45:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9927479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinkybitch/pseuds/kinkybitch
Summary: Rhys has sold his soul to Jack and is happy to spend eternity in Hell. But what if word got out that Jack had felled an angel? What if Saetan heard? What will happen to Rhys when the original fallen angel and ruler of Hell learns of a demon whose wings are still intact?





	1. Castles and Kings

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, so when I said this would be up in a week? I lied. This AU has just really taken a hold of me, and I feel like I need to get it out, y'know? 
> 
> So here it is, folks. Part 2! Hope you enjoy!

Rhys landed with an undignified “Oof.” He was about to chastise Jack for letting him fall so unceremoniously, but then he looked up. “Oh,” Rhys whispered in awe. “It’s … beautiful.” 

He had landed in the midst of a garden that surpassed any preconceived notions of what a garden could be. Roses climbed the hedges that surrounded the clearing they stood in. An elaborate fountain stood in the center of the space, water impossibly clear and sparkling. Flowers of all colors and varieties filled various patches of the ground.

“Thought you’d like it, Rhysie,” Jack said with a smile.

“I love it,” Rhys said as he closed the space between them and hugged Jack. Jack chuckled and peppered kiss on the top of Rhys’ head. “C’mon, baby. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Jack led Rhys through twists and turns of a maze of hedges. Rhys caught glimpses of other courtyards filled with golden trees and silver vines, red flowers and dark blue berries, and other flora he had never imagined. Finally, the pair reached what seemed to be the edge of the garden. Jack turned to Rhys and grinned.

“What’re you so pleased about?”

“Just look up, honeybuns.”

Rhys looked forward, but saw nothing of note, just an expanse of sandy rock before him. “Um … is it a replica of the deserts of Pandora?”

Jack smirked and waved his hand. The air in front of Rhys seemed to shimmer and warp, and then he was confronted with a totally different view.

Rhys gasped as he stared at the palace before him. The structure was enormous, stretching further than Rhys could see. It was made of a dark stone that Rhys couldn’t identify. Spires and gargoyles decorated the castle. Rhys felt as if he had stepped into a storybook.

“Jack, is this … Do you live in that?!”

“Yup! Perks of being a higher level demon.”

“What do you even do with all that space?”

“Rhysie, I have all of eternity to explore my home and do whatever I want with it. And now I’m giving some of that space to you.”

Rhys’ face broke out into a stupidly wide grin. “I can’t believe I’m going to live in a castle!”

“Believe it, babe. You roll with Handsome Jack now.”

Rhys made to head towards the palace. He took a few steps before he fell backwards. He jumped back up and marched forward. But once again, he ran into what seemed to be an invisible wall.

“Jaaaaaack? What’s going on?”

Jack looked over his shoulder. “What do you mean, kitten?”

Rhys put all of his weight against the invisible barrier. “Why can’t I go forward?”

“Damn!”

“Jack, what’s happening?”

“I thought we might get around this, but Saetan knows what he’s doing.”

“Jack?”

“Remember our deal? I get you safely to civilization in exchange for—“

“Five years in the pleasure gardens. Yeah, I remember. But you didn’t get me to civilization. So the deal is off, right?”

“Apparently not. It seems Hell is classified as civilization. So it looks like you’re stuck in the gardens.”

Rhys took a second to absorb that statement. “Does that mean …” He sighed. “This means no castle, doesn’t it?”

“ ‘Fraid so, pumpkin.”

“Noooooooo—“

“Shhhh, babe. You may not be able to go to my castle yet, but I have a plan.” Rhys was still pouting. “Oh stop moping, kitten,” Jack said as he ruffled Rhys hair. “This is gonna be a fun few years.”


	2. Gems, Gold, and the World: Anything for You

Jack led a moping Rhys back through the gardens to the courtyard they had landed in. Rhys assumed they would stop there, but Jack continued walking. Though Rhys was happy to catch glimpses of the otherworldly courtyards that seemed to get more strange the further they traveled, he was growing tired of walking.

“Jack, where are we going?”

“You’ll see, kitten.”

“Seriously, I have been walking for hours. I want to know where we’re going.”

“Fine, I’ll tell you. But only if you promise to stop pouting so much.”

“No promises.”

Jack chuckled. “Fair enough,” he admitted. “We’re headed to the center of the maze.”

“Why?”

“If you’re going to spend five years in this place, I’m setting us up somewhere good.”

“Us?”

Jack looked at Rhys incredulously. “Seriously, Rhys? I take you to Hell with me, and you expect me to abandon you if you can’t crash in my castle. No, babe. We’re bunking _together_.”

“Oh,” Rhys blushed and smiled timidly, “Thanks, Jack.”

“No problem, kiddo.”

For the rest of the walk, Rhys pondered what could possibly be at the center of the gardens. He kept hoping Jack would tell him or at least give him a hint, but every time Jack caught Rhys glance in his directly and just grinned and shook his head. Finally, Jack stopped and turned to face him.

“You ready, babe?”

“I’ve been walking for what I’m pretty sure was an entire day. Yes, I’m ready.”

Jack stepped to the side and gestured for Rhys to enter through the gap in the hedges. When Rhys step foot in the courtyard, he couldn’t help but gasp. The space was so large that he couldn’t see the opposite edge. The clearing was occupied by an enormous lake with clear, turquoise water. In the depths, Rhys spotted fish that seemed to be made of gems. Creatures of brilliant emerald, sapphire, and amethyst caught his eye. Then something that glittered stole his gaze, and he saw that the plants that inhabited the lakebed were an iridescent gold. In the center of the pool, an island rose from the water. The plants on that bit of land seemed to somehow be a brighter and deeper green than anything Rhys had seen in the gardens.

“Oh my … _fuck_ , Jack. This place is gorgeous.”

“Only the best for you, Rhysie. C’mon, baby.” Jack waved his hand and a small boat appeared at the edge of the water. Rhys carefully stepped into the boat, and Jack followed suit. Before Rhys could ask how the thing would take them to the island with no motor, the boat began moving of its own accord.

Rhys stared into the water and sighed happily. He trailed his hand in the cool water as the boat gently moved across the surface of the lake. Suddenly, a ruby fish darted to his fingers and tried to swallow one of Rhys digits. Rhys retracted his hand and burst into a fit of giggles.

“Jack! Did you see that?” Rhys looked up and saw Jack staring at him with a wide grin on his face. “What?”

Jack paused for a moment. “I’m just … I’m really glad you decided to come to Hell with me.”

Rhys smiled. “I am too, Jack.”

Rhys kept his hand in the water for the rest of their trip across the lake, hoping another fish would mistake his fingers for food. He had no such luck, but he did spot something new on the way to the island. A small turtle with the color and luster of a pearl swam lazily about the golden reeds. He had watched the creature as long as he could, but it soon disappeared from view. Soon enough, the pair had reached the island.

Jack led Rhys into the foliage, venturing underneath strange trees and passing brilliant flowers. Eventually, they reached a clearing and Jack smiled in triumph.

“What are you so pleased about, handsome?”

“This is it, Rhys! This is where we’re gonna make our home!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rhys is a lil cutie, isn't he? 
> 
> I know everything is slow right now, but I want some me time to enjoy writing some cute, non-plot related shit. It'll get better next chapter ... maybe. Idk. I have an outline of where this story is going, but I'm also adding new ideas as I go.
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed! Hit me up on tumblr (rhackismykink)!


	3. Making a Home

Jack grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Alright, babe! What do you want?”

“Um…” Rhys really had no idea what Jack was talking about.

“What sort of place do you want?” Rhys seemed to process the question for too long, because Jack started to get impatient. “Alright, why don’t I make it easier on ya? I’ll give you some examples.” Jack waved his hand and a small cottage appeared in front the pair. “Something cutesy?” Jack waved his hand. In the cottage’s place, a huge building made of dark wood stood. The structure was reminiscent of a hunting lodge. “Something rustic?” Jack waved his hand yet again and summoned a decently sized castle of light stone. “Something fancy?”

Rhys still had no real reaction to the dwellings Jack was summoning. Jack paused for a moment. Maybe he was going about things the wrong way. He turned to face Rhys. “What sort of home do you want, kitten?”

 “Um, I don’t really know.”

“Did you like any of the things I showed you?”

“Uh,” Rhys smiled sheepishly. “Not really.”

“Ugh, Rhysie. Why are you like this?”

“I don’t know what sort of place I want! I’m sorry! Just … choose for us.”

“But I want it to be something you like.”

“Can you just keep summoning stuff? I’ll see something I like eventually.”

“Sure, sweetcheeks.” Jack summoned a great number of dwellings: varying palaces, townhouses, mansions, lodges, cottages. Rhys seemed unimpressed by everything. He had been summoning things for a good hour before Rhys spoke up.

“Wait! Go back!”

Jack flicked his wrist, returning to the bungalow.

“No! Not that one! The one before that!”

Jack jerked his wrist once again and a modern mansion reappeared. The structure was fairly large and made of dark wood accented with patches of stone. It had a fair number of windows that covered nearly half of its surface area.

“This one?”

“Yeah. I like it!”

“Praise Saetan! I thought you’d never choose!”

Rhys blushed. “I’m sorry I took so long. I just wanted to choose the right one.”

Jack sighed and ruffled Rhys’ hair. “Whatever, kiddo. I’m just glad you like it. Also, I’m glad that over with.”

“What about the décor, Jack?”

“Oh no, kitten. After the shit you just pulled, you don’t get to pick decorations. This place is gonna be decked out Jack style until you figure out how to summon stuff on your own.”

Rhys stuck his tongue out at Jack. “Whatever. I’m sure it’s fine … for now.”

Rhys walked up to the door in the building and turned the knob. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the slightly dimmer lighting. His expression broke out into a grin. Turning back to Jack, Rhys said, “You ass. You made it sound like you’d paint this place neon pink or something.” Jack shrugged. Rhys continued, “It’s perfect!”

He moved to close the space between them and kissed Jack. As he made to pull away, Jack pressed his hands against Rhys’ back, locking him in place. Jack moved forward again, tongue parting Rhys’ lips. Jack dominated the kiss, exploring Rhys mouth and intertwining their tongues. Eventually, Jack slowly drew away. Jack took in his handiwork. Rhys’ eyes were dilated and he was breathing heavily. His cheeks were tinged a soft red and Jack spotted a bulge beneath Rhys’ clothing.

“C’mon, babe. I think it’s time I showed you the master bedroom.” Rhys was led up a flight of stairs and down a hallway before Jack took them through a doorway. The room was draped with colorful fabrics and a bed covered with dark satin sheets stood at the far wall. Rhys smiled, remembering their recent travels in the desert and the first time they had sex on a bed identical to the one in the room.

“You’re a hopeless romantic, Jack. Y’know that?”

“I’m gonna make you cum so hard so forget your name. Y’know **_that_** , kitten?”

And with that, Jack kissed Rhys again, pushing the younger demon towards the bed. Jack worried Rhys’ lower lip and bit hard enough to draw just a bit of blood. Rhys hissed but was quickly distracted from the pain when Jack palmed his growing erection though his pants. Jack pushed Rhys onto the bed and got rid of Rhys’ clothes immediately, waving them away. Rhys made to sit up, but Jack pressed his hand to his chest.

“Just lay back, kitten. Jack’s gonna take care of you.” Rhys laid back down on the bed, and Jack settled between his partner’s legs. He leaned down for a moment to kiss Rhys once more, then he focused his attention on Rhys’ cock.

Jack licked a long stripe up the underside of Rhys’ dick. The moan this elicited from the younger man nearly made Jack want to skip the foreplay and wreck Rhys’ pretty little ass. Then he remembered what he had planned to do, grinned, and restrained himself. He positioned himself to take Rhys into his mouth, and licked just the tip of Rhys’ dick.

“Fuck, Jack! Please, I need more!”

Jack just grinned mischievously, and slowly, oh so slowly took Rhys into his mouth. Rhys’ knuckles had gone white from gripping the sheets in a desperate attempt to keep from bucking up into Jack’s mouth. Finally, Jack took all of Rhys in his mouth and slowly started to move.

“Fuck! Fuck yes, Jack!”

Jack moved faster and faster, swallowing occasionally, knowing the movement of his throat would help tip Rhys over the edge. Rhys continued cursing and moaning Jack’s name and he came closer to his release. Suddenly, he grew rigid and was cumming. The orgasm hit him hard and he couldn’t help but move deeper into Jack’s throat. Jack grunted in displeasure but kept his mouth around Rhys, swallowing the young man’s release.

Jack eased off of Rhys’ cock and looked up at what he had done to Rhys. Rhys’ face and chest were flushed and sweat dusted his brow. The kid looked absolutely heavenly, no pun intended.

“ _Fuck_ , Jack. That was so good.”

“It’s not over yet, kitten.”

“Wait, what? Jack, I can’t take any mor—“ Rhys’ words were interrupted by a sharp gasp. Jack had pressed a finger into his ass. Jack smirked as Rhys’ cock perked up again.

“Oh, kitten, I think you can.”

“Jack, wh—what’s going on? How am I still going? Last time I practically passed out after having my orgasm.”

“You’re a demon now, babe. Your stamina will have increased.”

Rhys looked like he was going to say something else, but Jack shut him up by pressing another finger into his softness.

“Fuck, Jack!”

Jack eventually worked Rhys up to a third finger, then coated his dick with lube. Jack lined his dick with Rhys’ entrance and slowly pushed into Rhys’ warmth.

“Shit, baby! How are you still this tight?”

Rhys just moaned in response as Jack moved back. Jack thrust forward. After a few more movements of his hips, he found Rhys’ prostate. Jack hit it with each successive thrust. Rhys arched off of the bed in pleasure, tightening around Jack. This elicited a moan from the older demon who began thrusting faster, chasing his release. Jack’s thrusts became faster, sloppier, and with a final jerk of his hips he was cumming. Rhys cried out Jack’s name, ejaculating once again as he felt Jack’s seed inside of him.

Jack pulled out slowly. Rhys beckoned for him to lie next to him on the bed.

“Oh no, kitten. I’m not done with you yet.” Jack began stroking Rhys’ cock, which slowly became erect yet again.

“Jack! Jack, please! I’m too overstimulated!”

“Shhhh, kitten.” Rhys moaned as Jack ran his thumb over Rhys’ head. “Just let Jack take care of you.”

“Dominate me is more like it.”

“You got a problem with that, Rhysie?”

Before Rhys could reply, Jack stroked him faster and pressed his fingers into Rhys’ ass.

Rhys managed a breathy, “Not … fair,” before he gave in and let Jack do what he wanted, giving up on words and simply moaning in pleasure.

“Oh, Rhysie, I’m gonna fuck you dry … or until you pass out, whichever comes first.”

Jack continued stroking Rhys’ cock and hitting his prostate until Rhys had two more orgasms. As Jack gave Rhys his fifth orgasm, the younger demon passed out.

“Huh. Guess passing out came first.” Jack wondered if demons could even run out of semen. He grinned evilly and decided to test that theory with the felled angel later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written! I'm kinda proud of that. I feel like my chapters are always too short.
> 
> Anyway, hurray for more smut! Leave a comment if you enjoyed! Check out my tumblr: rhackismykink


	4. Sweet, Spicy, and Sucky

Rhys blearily opened his eyes. He was greeted by the sight of a softly snoring Jack, curled up like a cat with just the tip of his forehead peeking out from under the covers. Rhys sighed happily, and took a moment to just lay in bed. Looking over to Jack to make sure he hadn’t disturbed him, he slowly made his way out from under the blankets. It was time to explore the house.

Rhys quietly crept along the hallway, trying every door he could find. He saw what looked to be a study and a few guest rooms. Overall, Rhys was somewhat disappointed. He made his way to the lower level, bracing himself in case the stairs creaked. They didn’t. _Oh. Duh! Magic house! Of course the stairs don’t creek. I bet there’s not a creaky floorboard in this place._

Rhys began to explore the downstairs. He saw the open living room that the front door opened to. Behind that was an extravagant kitchen and a lavish dining room. As Rhys ventured further from the front door, he found stranger and stranger rooms, not that he was complaining. He saw an indoor swimming pool, a spa, a movie theatre, a room entirely devoted to video games (he was totally going back there later), a library, a room that seemed to have the walls of a bouncy house, and a library that seemed far too large to fit inside the size of house Jack had summoned.

Rhys was beginning to wonder whether Jack had space warping capabilities, when a smell hit his nostrils that made him wander back towards the kitchen. He sniffed the air, trying to figure out what the aroma was. It smelled like chocolate but kind of … _spice-like?_

“There you are, kiddo!” Jack greeted Rhys with a smile and a mug of dark liquid when Rhys found his way back to the kitchen. “Figured the smell of food would draw ya right to me.”

“Well, well. Someone’s wised up to the ways of this mortal.”

“You’re damn right I have! Now drink!”

Rhys took a sip of whatever was in the mug. It was smooth and sweet, but _very_ spicy. Rhys fanned his mouth in panic. “Ah! Ah! Spicy!” He looked at Jack through watery eyes. “Jack! Help me!”

Jack managed to stop guffawing for a second and summon a glass of cold milk. Rhys guzzled the thing down in a second.

“Jack! What was that? Are you trying to kill me or something?!”

“Relax, kiddo. You can’t be killed.” Rhys gave Jack his best intimidating glare, which came out more endearing than anything since his face was still red and tear-streaks still marked his face. “The delightful drink I tried to introduce you to is xocolatl.”

“Zo-co-what?”

“Xocolatl. Ancient drink of the Mayans. It’s some good stuff. Those guys were a little heavy on the human sacrifice thing when it came to summoning, but hey, Saetan liked ‘em. And they did do some mean things with chocolate.”

Rhys continued glaring at Jack for a moment. “Summon another glass of milk.”

“Why?”

“I’m gonna try to keep drinking this thing.”

“Alright, tough it out! Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Only took me about 3 years to finally stomach the stuff.”

“Three years?”

“Yes, Rhysie. Demon, remember? Three years is nothing!”

Rhys hummed in a half-hearted assent.

“So what do you wanna do today?”

“Well … I saw a room with video games. I’d kinda like to check those out.”

“Great! I’ve got a shit ton of those things. You mortals finally invented some decent entertainment! I mean, I prefer killing and battle in real life, but it’s the next best thing.”

Rhys started a bit. “Jack? You … you _like_ killing?”

Jack’s eyes widened and he sighed. “Shit. I – Rhys don’t take that the wrong way. I’m a demon, I – I’ve learned to take pleasure in things no one really should and—“ Jack was cut off by a deafening sound of a gong as all of his markings glowed. “ **FUCK!** I—Rhys, I have to go!”

“Jack, wha—“

“I have to go, **now!** Just … we can resume this conversation later, okay?”

“Jack, I—“

“Please, Rhys.”

“O—okay, Jack.”

“Just promise me something. You won’t leave the house while I’m away. Okay?”

“I—why can’t I leave the house?!”

“Promise me, Rhys!”

“Why, Jack?!”

“It’s still the pleasure gardens, Rhys! If people find you, then you’ll be forced to do what they please! Some of the demons down here are sick! So _promise_ me!”

“I … okay, Jack. I promise.”

“Thank you.” Jack pressed a quick kiss to Rhys’ lips and disappeared in a swirling cloud of smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment if you enjoyed! Hit me up on tumblr: rhackismykink


	5. All by Hisself -- Don't Wanna Be

Rhys supposed that Jack’s reasons for staying in the house made sense. Still, he sort of felt like a prisoner. A prisoner in a really nice, cushy prison, but a prisoner nonetheless. He sighed. He could do this. He could listen to Jack. After all, the house was really nice. Rhys solidified his resolve and decided to go check out the room full of video games. If anything could take his mind off his new little predicament, it was his favorite pastime. 

After trying out a newer game Rhys had been dying to get his hands on before the shenanigans of Pandora sucked him in, Rhys was feeling considerably happier. He managed to occupy himself by taking a dip in the … heated, _oh yes that was nice_ … heated pool for quite some time. He got a nice massage from something in the spa. _Did Jack have invisible servants? That seems like something Jack would have._ He had just stated what he wanted, and something with really skilled invisible hands had done it.

Rhys had tried to strike up a conversation with whatever it was, but nothing. It seemed it couldn’t talk or wouldn’t talk. _Whatever._ He had gotten tons of stress-related knots out of his back, and he was loving the lack of tension.

Rhys utilized all the other rooms he had found downstairs. The bouncy house room was decidedly awesome. The library was even bigger than he had thought. He spent at least an hour trying to find the end of it, but gave up and headed back to the door that led back to the hallway. He decided that Jack _definitely_ had space warping skills, and planned to ask about them when he got back.

Time passed. Rhys watched tons of old movies in the built in theater. He played hours of video games. Hours. Days? He checked the logged hours and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He had spent over three days playing _Scourge of Pandora IV: The Revenge of the Forsaken_. Rhys wasn’t fazed by the fact that he had played so much. He had gone through much worse bingeing phases. What surprised him is that he hadn’t slept or gotten hungry. _Huh. Demon perks, I guess?_

Then another thought struck him, Jack had been gone for over three days.

_Oh. I—I didn’t even think to ask him how long he might be gone. … Shit. How long will Jack be gone? He’s a demon. How long do things take with them? Three years wasn’t a long time to Jack. So … oh **fuck.** How long will Jack be gone?_

Rhys stayed in a state of panic for some time. Eventually, he went on a murder spree in Scourge and felt a little bit better. He tried to keep his mind off of the possible Jack being gone for years thing by distracting himself. He got pampered at the spa. He read some books on coding and … maybe one or two romantic novels. He missed Jack, dammit, and no one was here to judge him. He watched more movies. He bounced around. He played more video games. But eventually, Rhys got bored. Really _fucking_ bored.

He decided to continue exploring the house, but every new door he encountered was locked. The endless expanse of downstairs was locked. Every goddamn bit of it. Five corridors of doors were all locked.

_Jack?_ Rhys thought.

_Jaaaaaaaaack? Jack! JAAAAAAAAAACK! Can you hear me? Are you too far away for this to work? JACK! Jack? JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK! Why is every door downstairs locked? Huh! JACK!_

After thinking Jack’s name in the most annoying ways possible for a good ten minutes, Rhys was forced to conclude that Jack couldn’t hear him.

“Fuck. Fuckity fucking _fuck!_ FUCK! **SHIT!** DAMN! HELL! _BULLOCKS!_ I just—AAAAAAAAAHHH!”

Rhys was supposed to stay inside. He knew this. He was just really _fucking_ bored and really fucking **_pissed_** that Jack kept doors in their house locked.

He paced in front of the door to the outside for a good five minutes before deciding that _no, he wasn’t going to be stupid_. He would stay inside. Take a nap or something. Break some things. _Yes, the possibility of breaking things sounds really good right now._

Rhys looked about the living room for something he could break. His eyes landed on a vase that looked like it would make a decent crashing sound as it shattered against the floor. He hurled the vase at the ground.

_Oh yeah. If that wasn’t a satisfying crash, I don’t know what is._

But the vase shards slowly faded away in front of Rhys’ eyes. _What the—_ The vase was back on it’s pedestal. Good as new.

“Are you fucking kidding me? I can’t even get the satisfaction of permanently breaking something?!”

Rhys smashed the vase to the floor again. It regenerated. He hurled it against the wall, leaving a nice dent. Both the wall and the vase fixed themselves.

“Fucking” _vase hurled against floor_ “BREAK” _vase hurled against wall_ “already” _vase against floor_ “you **stupid** ” _vase against floor harder_ “fucking” _vase against wall_ “magic **FUCK!** ” Rhys hurled the vase at the ground again, and cried out in pain as a shard of the thing bounced up and lodged itself in his wing.

“ _Fuuuuuuuuuuuck_ ,” Rhys groaned as the shard dissipated and the vase reformed.

His wing hurt like a bitch. He had gotten no satisfaction from **not** breaking things, and now he had a cut wing. He glared at the entrance to the house. _Golly gee, I sure hope demons don’t figure out how to open doors._

Jack told him to stay inside, but the house was boring and Rhys wasn’t convinced he was any safer in here than he would be outside. After all, he was on an island in the middle of lake in the middle of the gardens. He made up his mind, and he opened the door.

On his way out, he gave one more spiteful glance at the vase. He wasn’t a goddamn prisoner. He was a demon, _damnit_. A new demon, sure. But he wasn’t some five year old who needed constant sheltering. And with that thought, Rhys began to walk away from the house and into the jungle. He was going to explore his new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved how you guys were like, "please let Rhys not be stupid." Nope! Nature's gotta take its course. Fish gotta swim. Eagles gotta be symbols for America. Rhys has to make stupid decisions as Rhys does.
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed! Hit me up on tumblr if you like: rhackismykink


	6. Things are Going Swimmingly

Rhys walked through the jungle for what he supposed was a few hours. He was both amazed and disappointed by what he found. Everything was the most brilliant shade of green he had ever seen in his life. The jungle was beautiful. The trees provided shade with their large green leaves. The vines that climbed the foliage and covered some of the ground were also a vibrant green. The strange little shrubs Rhys encountered were a dark shade of green.

Yes, the plants were interesting. Rhys had never had the chance to see much flora during his time on Pandora with the whole planet being a giant desert of death thing. So, Rhys studied the greenery he came across. It was interesting to be sure. And really green. All of it was green.

_Is this what jungles are supposed to be like? I mean, I thought they had more colors. But maybe I’m remembering wrong?_

The more Rhys walked, the more he felt there was definitely something missing from the jungle. It took him a while before he realized why everything felt off. It was completely silent. No rustling leaves. No birdsong. No sounds of movement. There were no animals in this jungle.

Rhys knew that the lack of animals shouldn’t worry him. It was probably just the nature of the gardens. In fact, thinking back on it, the only animals Rhys had seen in the gardens had been those in the lake. The lake! The lake was _not_ all one color. The lake had moving things to look at. The lake was _not_ boring.

So Rhys kept walking in a straight line until he eventually reached the edge of the jungle and caught sight of the turquoise water. He knelt happily on the edge of the island and gazed into the lake. He caught a few glimpses of an emerald fish making its way through the golden weeds. A small pearl turtle was slowly swimming to the bottom. Rhys began to wonder what else lived in the lake. After all, he had only seen the fish and a turtle last time. Perhaps they were all that inhabited it.

As Rhys let his thoughts wander he dipped his toes into the water, which was pleasantly warm. He allowed himself to lay back and look at the sky as he rested his feet in the lake. He felt himself slowly drifting into sleep when something bit his foot.

“Ow!” It was more of a reflex than anything. He had been more surprised than hurt. He quickly withdrew his feet from the water and looked for whatever had assaulted him. It wasn’t difficult to find. In front of him, a ruby fish was looking at him with wide eyes.

Rhys felt like he had seen this fish before. It took him a second, and then he remembered the boat ride onto the island.

“Oh!” Rhys exclaimed. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the little guy who got my fingers before!”

The fish swam about in little figure eights in what Rhys assumed was an excited manner.

“Um, hi?” The fish stopped and looked at him again. “So, uh, are you… I guess what I’m trying to say is… um… What do you want?”

The fish somehow managed to give Rhys a sad look. If someone had asked Rhys if fish were _A:_ capable of communicating or _B:_ capable of giving you looks of sadness and betrayal, he would have said no. But the little fish before him seemed to know exactly what Rhys was saying and was definitely giving him a hurt look.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you! Do you not want anything then?”

The fish gave him a nod.

“You just wanted to say hi?”

The fish nodded again.

“Uh, okay then lil buddy. Hi.”

The fish darted off into the reeds at the bottom of the lake. _Okay, well, that was weird._ Rhys turned away to head back into the jungle, but turned back at the sound of a splash. The little fish had returned, and had brought something with him. The fish had several of the golden reeds in his mouth and was looking at Rhys.

“Those for me?”

The fish nodded. Rhys accepted the golden gifts.

“Thanks.”

The fish shook its head and began swimming in a circle.

“What? What is it?”

The fish stared pointedly at Rhys, then the reeds, then swam in another circle.

“I know you want something from me, but I don’t get it!”

The fish gave Rhys a look that somehow read _you are as dumb as a bag of bricks_ , looked at the reeds again and swam in a circle.

“You want me to make a circle with the reeds?”

The fish nodded.

“Okay, lil guy.” Rhys complied and bent the reeds into a circle. As soon as he did so, the reeds began emitting a golden light. Rhys dropped them in surprise, and continued staring at them as they transformed. The reeds dimmed and stopped glowing, and Rhys could see they were no longer reeds. Now, a small circlet lay on the ground before him.

Rhys looked up at the fish. “Oh! Oh, wow! Thank you!” Rhys reached down and picked up the golden present. The fish gave Rhys another look. “Okay, okay! I’ll put it on! Happy?”

The fish nodded its assent after Rhys put the circlet atop his head.

“You are too cute, y’know that?”

This fish nodded.

“Would you want to come live in my house? … Oh no, that’s weird! I made it weird. Also, you probably don’t—I mean, you probably have fish friends and—“ Rhys broke off when he saw the little fish shaking its head frantically.

“So you don’t wanna come?”

The fish shook its head again.

“Oh.”

The fish continued shaking it’s head. Rhys perked up a little.

“You don’t **don’t** wanna come?”

The fish looked confused.

“Sorry, what I mean is you do want to come with me?”

The fish nodded happily.

“Yay! Oh gosh, this is great. Finally somebody I can talk to. I mean, I have someone to talk to but they’re gone and—“ Rhys paused. “I’m talking too much aren’t I.

The fish gave Rhys a sympathetic look.

“Okay, I’m gonna go find a bowl or something in my place. It might take a while because it’s at the center of the island … I think. But I’ll be back, okay?”

The fish nodded again.

“Okay!”

Rhys rushed off into the jungle, happily considering the prospect of a new friendship. _A new friend_ **fish** _. Nope. That pun was bad. Bad pun, Rhys._ He eventually found his home, and barged inside, ready to go bowl hunting.

In his haste, Rhys didn’t notice the sound of the door not closing behind him or the soft footsteps of someone entering the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay this chapter is weird. A fish? What is this author getting at? Aw, that's kinda cute. What a cute chapter ... SYKE. Cliffhanger.
> 
> Also, what is the significance of this fish? Why is there a random circlet? Hmmmm.


	7. Intruder Alert

“Bowl, bowl, gotta find a bowl,” Rhys mumbled to himself as he rummaged through the kitchen cabinets. “Aha!” He had found a set of bowls in the far right of one of the last cabinets. Smiling happily, he carefully slid them out and separated the largest one from the group. Turning around, his smile was wiped off his face as he immediately laid eyes on a stranger … in the house. _Fuck. Dammit, Rhys, you are so stupid! Jack said this would happen if you left the house and you left the house and now ther—_

“Hmm. So you’re Jack’s new plaything?” What the woman had phrased as a question came out as a demeaning statement. She circled him slowly. “Alright. He’s done worse. … I guess I understand why he likes you.” She stopped in front of him again. Rhys had just a second to take in the attractive figure and orange-gold markings that adorned her purple skin before she darted forward.

Rhys flinched, but the woman merely grabbed his wing.

“Extend these,” she said coolly. Rhys did as he was told and was met with a gasp.

“Holy shit!” She started laughing. “Holy _fucking_ **shit!** You’re an **_angel!_** Jack caught himself an _angel!”_

Rhys didn’t have a clue how to react. “Um … yes. I am an angel, and Jack and I live together. And—“

“Wait a second. You _live_ together?” The woman looked Rhys over another time. “Well, you are a pretty one, I guess. But why you? Just because the idiot hasn’t had human contact in years doesn’t mean he’d fall for the first moral dopey mortal he came across.” She stopped and laughed. “Of course! It’s _Jack._ And what else would that demon fall for if not looks and a good lay?”

Rhys began backing up at this point, torn between defending himself as more than a dopey mortal and running the hell away from this woman.

“Stop!” The woman commanded, and Rhys obeyed. Only he didn’t want to. His body wouldn’t move.

“What the—What did you do to me?”

“Magic, honey. I’m a higher-level demon, unlike your pansy fledgling ass.”

“Let me go!”

“Hmmm, let me think about that. No.” She circled him and lightly trailed her fingers over his wings. “Now … will you have sex with me?”

“No way!”

“I asked _will you have sex with me?_ ”

“No! You’re crazy!”

“Will you have sex with me?”

“N—N— … I wo— … N— … What’s happening?”

“You can’t say no. Simple as that.”

“B-but that’s not how the gardens is supposed to work! I can turn down people!”

“But you have to take every third.”

“But you’re not a third person! You just asked three times!”

“Oh, calm down. I’m an exception. You can’t turn down a higher-level demon.” She laughed at his surprised face. “What? Jack didn’t tell you that?” She grinned. “Oh, honey, he was planning on fucking you senseless when he made a deal with you if he didn’t tell you that.” Rhys blushed furiously. “But I’m guessing you wouldn’t mind that, seeing as you’re living together, huh?”

The woman moved right in front of Rhys and moved herself uncomfortably close to his face. “Now, I’m going to ask you again. You give the right answer this time, okay? So _will you have sex with me?_ ”

Rhys lips moved without his permission. He felt and heard himself saying, “Yes.”

“Excellent.” The woman pried the bowl from Rhys’ hands and placed it on the counter. She then led him to the living room and sat him on the couch. He didn’t want to move, but his body followed her anyway. The woman straddled Rhys’ lap and took his hand. She waved her hand, and her clothes were gone in an instant. In a moment, Rhys’ were gone too. She guided Rhys hand to her pussy and slowly pushed one of his fingers inside of her.

“Now finger me,” she commanded. Rhys had to admit, he was kind of turned on. Still, this was wrong. He refused to cheat on Jack. Slowly, ever so slowly he regained control of his hand and brought his fingers to a halt.

The woman gave snarled. “Stronger will than I thought.” She paused, a pensive look on her face. “Okay, then. What about this?” Before Rhys’ eyes, the woman shifted. She grew blurry for a moment, and then a hazy form of Jack was in her place.

“What the fuck?! How did you do that?”

“Magic. How many times do we need to go over this?”

“I’m not fucking you just because you look like Jack!” Rhys tried to get up, to move away. Yet, the only part of him that responded was his hand that he had regained.

“You need more incentive? Fine.” The Jack Rhys knew wasn’t Jack reached out his hand and touched Rhys’ temple, and suddenly everything was fine.

Rhys was a little dizzy, but Jack was there so he would be okay. _Jack. Yes, Jack was good._ Rhys was really horny, like _really horny_. He started pawing at Jack’s chest.

“Alright, kitten, how ‘bout we shake things up today? You can have a go at my amazing ass!”

Rhys whined and shook his head. “No, Jack. I need _you_. I need _you_ inside of _me!_ ”

“You little slut. … Fine, I’ll give you what you want.” Rhys faintly heard Jack mutter something about being able to shift enough for that. Whatever that meant. Next thing he knew, Jack was pushing into him with no prep. He’d had the decency to summon some form of lube at least, because the burn was minimal. Jack pulled out completely and slammed into Rhys. He kept up the violent pace, and Rhys was moaning and mewling in response. He’d missed Jack so much and now he was here and the rough sex was perfect and just **_yes_** _._ He was on the brink of coming when a voice interrupted the sounds of the pair fucking.

“Rhysie? Rhysie, baby, I’m home! I’m sorry I took so long, I didn’t realize the assignment was gonna be so intensive but I made short wo—NISHA, WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Rhys lazily managed to turn around and saw … Jack. _Wait, what? That didn’t make any sense. If Jack was there then who was fucking him?_

Rhys turned around and saw a woman … _Wait. Where do I know her from? … Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit._ Rhys saw _the_ woman who had forced him into sex with her _dick_ buried in his ass.

Jack glared at the pair of them and began striding towards the couch.

Rhys was in big trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if Nisha's ooc! I've never played any of the Borderlands games besides TFTBL because my computer is terrible and old and my graphics card is AWFUL.
> 
> Still I hope this chapter was enjoyable ;3  
> Ya know I had to write some more porn. I live for this stuff. I mean, plot's good and all, but porn is where it's at.
> 
> Anyhoo, leave a comment if you enjoyed or have some Nisha feedback!
> 
> Please check out my tumblr: rhackismykink  
> I am lonely and ready to discuss rhack and rhysothy and rhackothy AND gayperion annnnd zerhys whenever. (Goodness, I have a lot of Rhys ships.)


	8. Old Friends and New Grudges

Nisha thrust into Rhys again, Rhys stifled a moan since Jack was staring intently at him.

“Rhys?”

“Mmhm.”

“How did Nisha get in here?”

Nisha thrust into Rhys again, particularly violently this time. Rhys couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

“I—I went outside, and she followed me in.”

“So, you broke your promise and you went outside?”

“Yes … I—I’m so sorry, Jack. I was just really bored, and I didn’t know how long you’d be gone, and pretty much all the doors downstairs are locked, and the _vase_ was a thing and…” Rhys trailed off as Jack continued to glare at him. “I’m really sorry, Jack.”

“You’re lucky it’s only Nisha who found you. Anyone else and you might’ve been in actual trouble.”

Rhys tried to ask how exactly Jack and the woman fucking him were acquainted when Nisha rammed him again. All the breath was knocked out of him as she finally located his prostate.

“Seriously, though, kiddo. I was gone six fucking days and you got bored? Really?”

Rhys tried to look down sheepishly, but Nisha fucked into him once again and he found himself arching his back and crying out.

“Nisha, seriously! Could you stop that?”

“Hmmmmmm … no!”

“Nisha, I’m trying to have a _conversation_ with Rhysie here. And it’s not exactly helping that every time I try to make a point, you decide you need to fuck him.”

“Well, I’m trying to finish what I started. I haven’t had a good lay in a while, and I’m starting to see why you like this fledgling. He’s kinda cute, and aren’t his moans just adorable?”

“Nisha,” Jack growled as a warning.

“Jack,” Nisha cooed coolly in response, and continue fucking the living daylights out of Rhys.

“Alright, fuck this!” Jack exclaimed, as he circled the couch and began to pull Nisha off of Rhys.

“Jack, let me have this!” Nisha growled. Then she grinned knowingly. “Anyway,” the air around Nisha started to shimmer. “Haven’t you wondered how you look while you fuck your boy toy?” Nisha was once again projecting an image of Jack onto the corneas of those in her presence.

Jack paused for a moment and seemed to consider the sight before him.

“Ah, fuck. Ya got me, Nish. You always did make good glamours.” Jack settled into a chair that faced the couch and took in the sight before him. He had to admit, he and Rhys made one hot pair. Pornos should be dedicated to them. Granted, pornos should be and _were_ dedicated to Jack. But Jack thought that he and Rhys could knock the wimpy content of Hell’s nsfw net out of the water.

At this point, Rhys no longer cared who was fucking him. He didn’t care Jack was watching him. He didn’t _remember_ Jack was watching him. The only thing he could focus on was the incessant pounding of a dick in his ass, consistently hitting his prostate. Rhys’ moans grew more frequent and higher in pitch, and the Jack fucking Rhys was letting out an impressive string of curse words. The pace of the Jack’s thrusts quickened. The Jack reached down and took Rhys’ dick in its hand. With a few short strokes, Rhys was cumming. Seconds later, the Jack followed, filling Rhys’ insides with warmth.

Nisha pulled out of Rhys, and Rhys fell flat on the couch. Jack laughed at the site of his wrecked angel until his gaze fell on Nisha, whose cock was slowly receding into her body.

“So, Nish. How’d you find, Rhys?”

Nisha threw her head back and let out a barking laugh. “You say that as if it was hard, Jack! Your magic’s stunk up nearly half the garden. Summoning a dwelling is one thing, but bringing nearly all of your things _and_ warping space? Did you really think no-one would notice?”

Jack swore. “How many demons know about this place?”

“Well, no one knows your home exists besides me. I’m one of the few who knows how to navigate the gardens to even get here. But, at least half of Hell has heard rumors you’re doing something in the gardens.”

“Shit!”

“You need to put better cloaking spells on this place. The invisibility was cute. Nice try, but seriously poorly crafted.”

“Would you be willing to help me with that?”

“Sure. But it come with a price.”

“You’ve already fucked Rhys. I say you owe me one.”

Nisha chuckled. “Fair enough.”

At this point, Rhys had gained some energy and his curiosity was piqued. “Um … so … glamours? Cloaking spells? Invisibility? Can someone explain these things to me?”

Jack smiled and began, “Okay, baby. So, demons can use magic. Surprise! You know this. Anyways, there’s lots of different kinds of magic. Cloaking means covering the tracks of your spells. Invisibility spells are what they sound like. Glamours are disguises. Y’know like the one Nish used while she fucked you?”

Rhys blushed furiously. “Jack, I’m really sorry about th—“

“Forget about it, kid. Over and done with. As I was saying, glamours are disguises. Anyway, all of that stuff that would help hide this place better and cover up the traces of my magic are stealth spells. That’s not really my thing. I’m more persuasion, fire, combat, that sorta shit. But Nish here, Nish is fucking _great_ at stealth stuff! Granted, she’s damn good with combat spells too, but her glamours are unrivaled.”

“Oh, stop, Jack. You’re making me blush.”

“Um … also, if you wouldn’t mind me asking, how do you two know each other?”

Nisha and Jack looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“How do we know each other?” Jack managed to get out between laughs. “More like how could we **_not_** know each other!”

“Jack and I met a long time ago, fledge. We have neighboring territories. The guy who used to run his land was a total pushover. I’d been stealing some of his turf acre by acre every year or so, but as soon as Jack came around, he demanded the land back. We went to war over a few miles I stole. Eventually, we came to an agreement.”

“Agreement, my ass! I took back my land from you.”

“Yes, but now I have your help whenever Moxxi tries to pull shit.”

“Eh, I guess you’re right.”

Nisha leaned forward and looked Rhys in the eye. “Jack and I know each other _very_ well. We reached a truce through working out our various _needs_ together.”

Jack chuckled at the memories, then seeing the look on Rhys’ face, quickly added, “But that was millennium ago, cupcake! You’re my number one now!” The exclamation was accompanied with a wink.

“C’mon, Jack!” Nisha called as she headed for the door. “I’ll help clean up your sloppy stealth work.”

Jack followed her to the door, then turned to Rhys, “Stay inside, kitten. Get some sleep or something.”

Rhys wanted to argue, but he had already disappointed Jack once by leaving the house. He watched as Nisha exited, Jack following her. The door closed behind the pair and Rhys let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

He needed to do something to take his mind off of the craziness that had just occurred. He returned to good ol’ Scurge. Shooting bandits and slashing skags to bits, definitely not imagining Nisha’s face on every single enemy he decimated. Because he wasn’t jealous. Jack had demon friends. Of course he did. Jack was super old, like, as old as the universe, so of course he had had other relationships. Rhys knew this. He wasn’t jealous or petty. So he wasn’t imagining Nisha when he shot a female enemy in the face and repeatedly shot her corpse, then stomped on it, then threw it off the edge of a cliff, then tossed some grenades at it and watched it blown to smithereens. Definitely not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed!
> 
> Consider checking out my tumblr: https://rhackismykink.tumblr.com


	9. Retrograde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Including my previous apology stuff here, because it's still relevant.)
> 
> Hey guys!
> 
> So after some comments I've gotten here and other messages I've received on other sites, I have realized that my last two chapters were quite problematic. I did not handle the rape of Rhys in an adequate fashion, and I pretty much tried to gloss the whole thing over.
> 
> Truthfully, it really wasn't necessary. It wasn't needed to move the plot forward. The outcome would be the same if Nisha toyed with Rhys in other ways. Additionally, I did not have the characters react in an appropriate fashion. Jack blamed Rhys for going outside. Even though Jack did warn Rhys, it is never a victim's fault. NEVER. I didn't realize I was setting things up that way until a few people brought it up. I am deeply sorry.
> 
> Also, I do plan for Nisha to be mentioned casually in the future, perhaps even make another appearance. And letting a character be mentioned later after raping someone with no discernible change in attitude surrounding said character. Terrible.
> 
> In general, I try to keep my main fics a little lighter, but I went full out dark in the past two chapters. And I did not handle that darkness well ... at all.
> 
> So I sincerely apologize.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> -Alli 
> 
>  
> 
> UPDATE: The majority of you guys have been pretty cool about this. I'm relatively new to fic writing, and I'm still learning. This has been a valuable lesson that I intend to learn from. I'm going to take your suggestions and address things in the next chapter. Rhys is going to process what happened to him and confront Jack about it. Should be up in the next week.
> 
> Thanks for your continued support!
> 
> -Alli

After Rhys had finally worked out some aggression, he headed back to the living room.

“Jack?” Before Rhys could wonder where Jack had gone to, he spotted him through one of the windows, chatting happily with Nisha. It had been, what, six hours? And they were still talking? Fine. _Fucking fine._

Suddenly, all Rhys wanted to do was sleep. He wanted this crazy day to be over. He wanted to ignore the questions he had about Jack’s past that had been stirred up by Nisha’s appearance. Most of all, he wanted to put Nisha out of his mind. He could do without thinking about her for a few years, or decades, or _eternity_.

Rhys made his way to the bedroom and burrowed under the covers. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him. … He waited for sleep to take him. Okay. Sleep was not cooperating. Rhys counted down from 100, breathing slowly. When that didn’t work, he pretended to be laying on a beach, narrowing his focus to the imaginary waves lapping at his feet. But he couldn’t drift off. His mind was too awake. And suddenly, everything that had happened in the past day hit him.

Rhys felt warmth on his cheeks. He reached up and felt that there were indeed tears streaming down his face. Rhys was shaking and sobbing. He picked up a pillow and let out a strangled scream of rage into the object. His throat was raw, but it felt good to have some sort of release. He curled into a ball and let everything that had happened wash over him.

 

\-------------------------

 

“Rhys?”

Rhys heard the tentative voice over his quiet sobs. He turned away from the door.

“Rhys? What’s wrong, baby?”

“Go away, Jack!”

“Babe, seriously,” Jack began as he stepped into the room. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? What’s _wrong_? Oh gee, Jack. What could possibly be wrong?” Jack just stared at Rhys with a blank face. “I was raped, Jack. Your ex-girlfriend fucking **raped** me.” Jack didn’t react. “I didn’t want it! I didn’t want it, Jack. But she kept asking to have sex with me, and then I couldn’t say no! I physically couldn’t say no! What the _fuck_ , Jack? You said I could refuse people, but you lied! You fucking **_lied_** to me!”

Jack took a step towards him, hand outstretched, “Rhys.”

“Don’t _Rhys_ , me! You **_lied_** , Jack! And then … then … I know I shouldn’t have gone outside, but I didn’t deserve that.” Rhys looked at Jack with wide, tearful eyes. “I didn’t deserve to be raped.”

“Rhys, I … I didn’t know she was raping you.”

“You didn’t—“ Rhys looked at Jack with a rage that the demon hadn’t seen in the younger man before. “How the FUCK did you think that was consensual?”

“Well, you were moaning and shit. I mean, you looked like you were having a good time.”

“I—I don’t know what she did to me, okay? That’s part of what makes this so fucked up. Because I didn’t want it, but then it was you. Then it wasn’t you, but there was still this haze and…” Rhys trailed off, his renewed sobs stronger than ever before.

“Shhhh. Shhhh, baby,” Jack attempted to comfort Rhys as he slid his hand around the thin demon’s waist. Rhys shied away from Jack’s touch.

Rhys looked up into Jack’s eyes once more. Hurt evident in every detail of his expression. “And then … Jack, you made me feel like it was my fault. Like it was my fault because I chose to go outside!”

Jack’s eyes widened and he hugged Rhys tight. “Baby, it wasn’t your fault. I didn’t … **No.** It wasn’t your fault. I’m so sorry I made you feel that way.”

Rhys was still stiff for a moment, but he eventually returned Jack’s embrace. His sobs continued, but they were quieter.

That was how they stayed. Jack stroking Rhys’ hair and whispering comforting words. Rhys quietly crying and clutching Jack’s chest. Eventually Rhys fell asleep, and Jack carefully tucked him under the covers. He sighed to himself and vowed to never let himself be so stupid again. He also vowed to get back at Nisha for using dark magic on his Rhys. Plans for revenge stewing in his mind, Jack joined his lover under the covers and slowly drifted off into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me, folks. Next chapter we'll get some more background on our Handsome Demon. :)
> 
> Tumblr: rhackismykink


	10. Cast Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toot-toot! Everybody ready to board the dialogue train?  
> I try to avoid making whole chapters dialogue. It's just ... I really fucking love dialogue.  
> So whoops!

Rhys was startled out of his dreams by screaming. He sat bolt upright, searching for the source of the commotion. The source of the screams turned out to be the man right next to him.

“You can’t take her! You can’t fucking take her! You—“ Jack stopped yelling abruptly and tears began to stream down his face. “You can’t take my Angel from me,” he whispered almost defeatedly.

“Jack?” Rhys whispered softly, shaking the demon’s arm. “Jack, wake up!” Rhys shook him harder this time. Jack’s eyes snapped open and wildly scanned the room until they landed on Rhys. “Jack, it was just a dream. That’s all it was.” Rhys cooed comforting words as he ran his fingers gently through Jack’s hair. Jack reached up and wiped away his tears.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know, pumpkin.” Jack smiled, but it seemed forced. “Thanks for waking me up.”

Rhys snuggled under the covers, preparing to go back to sleep.

“Do you want to know who she was, Rhys?”

Rhys started. Though he had pledged eternity to Jack, he knew that he didn’t like talking about his past. The most Rhys had heard of Jack’s origins had come from that bitch Nisha.

“I … Yes. I’d like to know anything you’re willing to tell me.”

“I wasn’t always a demon, Rhys. I’m sure you’ve guessed that by now. But, … I was never a mortal either.”

“You were never a mortal?”

“No. I’ve been here since as long as the powers that be decided on creation. I was … I was one of the angels forged by God’s hand.”

Rhys stared at Jack with disbelief. “You were an angel?!”

“One of the originals, yeah.”

“So how did … how did you end up here? A demon?”

“Well, I’ve told you demons can have children. Naturally, angels can as well. I have a daughter, Angel. Real creative name, am I right? … Her mother chose it. Everything was going fine for us up in Heaven. I trusted in God. I had faith in the high angels. … Well, it turned out my baby was a new type of angel. Apparently, angels born of two of God’s own divine creations were special. They had immense power.”

“What sort of power?”

“They could amplify the powers and attacks of other angels tenfold. We found out by accident. I was trying to heal a scar her mother had received in battle.”

“Wait. Battle?”

“She was a warrior. Saetan had already fallen, and the war between Heaven and Hell had begun. _Anyway_ , I was trying to heal my wife. Normally, it’s a slow process with an injury that size, but Angel toddled over and her markings glowed. Suddenly, the gash was gone. Every other small scratch had healed too. I reported it to the high angels immediately. They said that we had to find a way to harness Angel’s powers for the war. And I … I agreed. Part of it was my own idea. I was the one who sealed Angel’s fate. We hooked her up to some sort of apparatus the high angels had created. It seemed fine. She seemed okay. Over time though, they limited my visits. Each time I saw her she looked more drained. Each time they had hooked more tubes to her. I knew they were hiding something from me. So I snuck in one night. They were pumping pure magic energy into my baby girl. She was screaming, crying, begging for them to stop. They just told her she had to bear it for the greater good. I went to the high angels, I asked for them to take it down. I begged them to let her rest. I told them it wasn’t right. They just told me she had to suffer for God’s will to succeed. That Angel had to suffer _unimaginable pain_ for the _greater fucking good_. I went ballistic. I fought those who guarded her. I even killed to get her out. I destroyed their machine and killed those who had built it so they could never hurt my baby girl again. I didn’t try to run. I would face my punishment. I was sure the others would be just when they heard what had been done to Angel. Instead, I was denied an audience, denied a trial, denied any sort of justice. The remaining high angels simply ripped off my wings and cast me from Heaven.”

“Jack, that’s horrible.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

“Do you know what happened to Angel?”

“She’s okay. I used to hear her thinking about me. I never hear her anymore. They probably told her I died in battle or something.” Jack smiled ruefully. “At least she’s okay though. I know she is. Had to make a real shady deal with Saetan to make sure of it.”

“Jack, if I may, what did Saetan make you give up?”

“He made me give up any chance of ever going to Heaven again. Of ever seeing my baby in the flesh.”

“What do you mean?”

“There was still a chance I could return to Heaven if I somehow proved my worth. But that was a long-shot anyway, and the high angels would never let that happen. So I resigned myself to the next best thing. A promise that she would never be hurt again. In exchange for my pride, my beauty, my being itself.”

Rhys still had no real idea what Jack was talking about. His confusion must have shown in his face, because Jack smiled grimly and said, “I became a demon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I just love these characters," I say as I imagine fucked up backstories. "Love em," I say as I give Jack reoccurring nightmares about losing his baby-girl. "Devoted to em," I say as I plan more bad shit to happen in the future chapters.


	11. Stuck

After their talk, Rhys must have drifted off again, because he awoke to a feeling like fire crawling over his skin. Rhys looked down at himself and saw that his markings were glowing.

“Jack?” Rhys shook the snoring demon next to him. “Jack!”

“Shhhhhhhh, Rhysie. Go back to sleep.” Rhys fought the hand that was forcing his head back onto the pillows.

“ **Jack!** Wake up!”

A pair of very annoyed golden eyes met Rhys’ and then widened as they took in Rhys’ marks glowing bright turquoise.

“Rhysie! Baby! It’s happening!” Jack grinned.

“What’s happening?!”

“You’re being summoned!”

“I … What?”

“Someone’s summoning you.”

“What do I do?!”

Jack placed a firm hand on Rhys’ shoulder. “Close your eyes. Feel who’s calling you.”

“Feel who’s calling me! What does that even mean?”

“Just shut up and close your eyes!” With a huff, Rhys complied. He focused on whatever the feeling was that was like a flame both engulfing him and within him.

“Stop thinking so much! Just let yourself feel it.”

Rhys reached out with his consciousness, trying to find who was contacting him. Suddenly, he just knew.

“It’s Vaughn!”

“Who?”

“Oh, right. Um, he’s one of my friends.”

“Eh, so your dork buddies finally figured out the inscription huh. Took em long enough.”

“So, what do I do now?”

“Just reach out to the presence you feel, this Vince—“

“Vaughn!”

“Whatever. Reach out to him and you’ll just join him.”

“How do I reach out to him? What does that—“

“Babe, you sensed who it was. Just do that sorta thing again.”

Rhys closed his eyes, focusing on the fire within. He focused on Vaughn’s presence. He began to hear some muffled form of speech that began to form words.

“Are you sure it’s working, Vaughn?”

“I dunno, but I think so. I can kinda like _feel_ Rhys is there. I can’t explain it. It’s just—“

Rhys called out. “Vaughn! Sash! It’s me!”

Two startled voices cried out in response. “Rhys!”

Before Rhys could respond, a crippling pain ran through his head and everything stopped. The call was gone. The feeling of fire was too. He opened his eyes and saw his marking were no longer glowing.

“What happened?” Rhys looked up at Jack. “Did I do something wrong?”

“You were beginning to jump realms. Your outline was fuzzy. Everything looked fine, Rhys. What happened?”

“I heard Vaughn and Sasha,” Rhys quickly added, “She’s another friend, but then there was this pain in my head and everything stopped.”

Jack narrowed his eyes and hummed. Rhys could practically hear the tiny cartoon gears moving inside his head.

“Hold still, pumpkin. I wanna take a look at your head.” Jack touched Rhy’s forehead. “There are no scars or anything from where your port used to be.” Jack’s fingers grazed over the surface of Rhys’ skull, skimming through his hair. “Can you take off that golden thing? It’s in the way.”

Rhys reached up to take off his circlet, but it didn’t move. He pulled again and again, but it simply wouldn’t budge.

“Jack! It’s stuck!”

“Hold still, babe.” Jack pulled at the circlet. He tried twisting it. He even tried pushing it further onto Rhys’ head. Nothing moved it. “Where did you even get this thing, babe? I don’t remember having something like this in _any_ of my wardrobe rooms.”

Rhys froze and paled. “I … I got it outside.”

“What?”

“I got it from a fish down at the lake’s edge.”

Jack drew his hand back from Rhys’ head. He blinked slowly and inhaled deeply.

“Jack, I’m so sorry. There was a cute little fish and it brought me these reeds and–“ Rhys tapered off. “Jack, I’m so _so_ sorry.”

Jack looked at Rhys sadly. “No, Rhys. I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“Because you won’t be able to see your friends.”

“Wh—What?!”

“Whatever that thing is, it’s not a simple piece of jewelry. It will keep you from ever leaving Hell.”

“Well, we just have to figure out how to take it off, right? There must be some spell or magic or _something_ that can take it off!”

Jack just stared at Rhys sadly. “No, Rhys. There’s not. The kind of magic that stops summonings can only stem from one being: Saetan himself. There’s no way you can ever leave, Rhys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Jack. So excited for baby's first summon and then having his dreams of tormenting Rhys' friends with graphic details about the sex they've had crush.
> 
> I mean, poor Rhys too, but Jack had some really great one-liners planned.


End file.
